


Follow Your Instincts

by stars28



Category: The Musketeers (2014)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Helping each other out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-27
Updated: 2018-10-27
Packaged: 2019-08-08 10:40:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16427786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stars28/pseuds/stars28
Summary: The Queen lends a helping hand to various Musketeers.





	Follow Your Instincts

**Author's Note:**

> Fic title comes from ‘Don’t Give In’ by Snow Patrol.

****

**1: D’Artagnan – Lost.**

Although she and Louis had been married for seven years, Anne had yet to produce an heir, much to the King’s disappointment. Despite this, she still possessed motherly instincts, after all her ladies in waiting were little more than young adults and needed her guidance, though they often denied it.

It was these same instincts which led Anne to find a visibly confused Musketeer outside her rooms. It was the new one; the young man who Louis had commissioned just three days.

“Hello?” Anne said gently, “D’Artagnan is it?”

“Your Majesty!” He said, “I apologize!”

A smile formed on Anne’s face, it was quite amusing to watch the Musketeer trying to stand straight and apologize at the same time. She should put him out of his misery though.

“Relax d’Artagnan,” She soothed, clearly seeing the stress on his face, “I didn’t mean to cause you any stress. Why are you here?”

She was sure that she had no need for a Musketeer today. All she was doing was planning the coming balls with her ladies in waiting.

He laughed awkwardly, glancing at the floor briefly before focusing back on her, and explained, “This is going to sound silly, but I’m uh… lost. I haven’t exactly had time to completely figure out the layout of the Palace yet, what with everything that’s been going on and my friends haven’t given me the full tour yet.”

“I know a little of what that’s like, not knowing the Palace or Paris.” Anne paused, wondering if she should even say it, and the continued regardless, “Before I was King’s wife, the Queen of France, I was a Spanish Princess. When I became the Queen of France, I was still a Spanish Princess, but I was in an unfamiliar city, with unusual customs. It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced until that point. Fortunately, it didn’t take me long to figure out the layout of the Palace and there were plenty of people more than willing to point me in the right direction.”

D’Artagnan looked shocked at hearing her saying such things, but Anne found that she trusted him with her private thoughts, thoughts no one else had ever heard. It made sense, seeing as they were both outsiders to the city. Even after seven year in Paris, Anne sometimes longed for her home country. It had been her only home for many years before she married Louis. She imagined d’Artagnan felt much the same way about wherever he was from.

“I… Your Majesty, I don’t know what to say.” D’Artagnan stuttered, obviously still stunned.

“You don’t have to say anything, just know that I’ve been in your position.” Anne replied and then promptly realized that the Musketeer had somewhere to go, “Where were you going?”

“I’m meeting Porthos in the west corridor.”

“You’re not that far away. Just go down this corridor, past the first door on your left and you’ll be there.” She said, seeing the look of gratitude appear on d’Artagnan’s face, “I imagine you’ll be able to see Porthos immediately.”

D’Artagnan chuckled, “That’s true Your Majesty.”

“Go then.” She said, watching the Musketeer continue down the corridor.

~

**2: Athos – Drunk.**

Anne has had a privileged life – she would be the first to admit – but that didn’t mean that she didn’t know what men did in their free time.

For example, Athos drank heavily almost every night, whether he was on guard duty the next day or not. She could always smell wine on him, to the point where she had started to associate the smell with Athos. However, to her knowledge he had never been on duty drunk, hungover almost definitely. But never drunk.

The King indulged in wine fairly often, so Anne knew something about the behaviour of drunken men: staggering around, slurring of words and disjointed sentences. She had seen many men at balls when they overindulged, they became intolerable to her and the other people around.

Athos had never displayed any of these signs whilst on duty before, however right now the older Musketeer was swaying as he stood next to his friends. His friends appeared to be aware of his predicament as both d’Artagnan and Aramis had a firm hand on each of Athos’s elbows. Porthos kept throwing worried glances at Athos.

After a few minutes of observing the three Musketeers support Athos, Anne decided that she would save Athos from being called on by the King.

She stood up from her throne, all talk in the room quietening immediately as everyone bowed to her. She inclined her head towards her husband, who smiled back. With a slim hand, she gestured at the four Musketeers directly in front of her and beckoned for them to follow her and her ladies in waiting out of the grand room.

Once she was outside of the room and the doors were shut, Anne sent her ladies in waiting away, claiming that the four Musketeers stood opposite her would be enough help. They left after curtsying. She was aware of the confused gazes of Porthos, Aramis and d’Artagnan. Athos simply stared at her, barely blinking and still being held by Aramis and d’Artagnan.

Anne smiled at them before explaining her motives, “I don’t really need you for anything, but I thought it would be better if we got Athos out of there before the King could ask him anything.”

“You were right about that Your Majesty.” Aramis said, bowing slightly.

“I thought as much.” She replied, glancing at Athos with concern, “Maybe it’s best if one of you get Athos away from the Palace and the other two remain with me. To keep the cover story straight.”

“Your Majesty… thank you.” Porthos said, gratitude clear in his eyes.

“It’s fine, Athos has done much for me over the years, it was only fair that I helped him in his time of need.”

Anne watched as the Musketeers held a silent conversation with their eyes which resulted in Porthos bowing and then helping Athos walk down the hallway while d’Artagnan and Aramis stayed by her side. She wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but she was in awe of how well they knew each other and how much they trusted each other.

~

**3: Porthos – Worried.**

Out of the corner of her eye, Anne could see Porthos pacing from side to side anxiously. She wanted to do something to ease his worries about Athos but wasn’t sure quite what to say. Still, she knew she had to say something about Athos before the Musketeer did something reckless. Well, even more reckless than their usual antics.

“Porthos,” She said, still not quite sure what she was going to say, “He’ll be alright, you know.”

The man looked up from the floor in surprise. He responded, with a wry smile, “I know that Your Majesty. It doesn’t stop me from worrying though.”

Anne hummed, “I suppose you are right about that. You are unexpectedly wise you know.”

Porthos laughed loudly, “My friends often tell me that.”

~

**4: Aramis – Injured.**

Anne thought that Aramis was too calm for a man who had blood pouring out of his arm and only the Queen of France to help him. Frantically, she tried to find something to press against his wound. She spotted a tablecloth which would do the job.

“You know, you’re too calm for someone who’s just been injured.” She said, grasping a tablecloth and dragging it off the table. She paid no attention to how all the delicate ornaments smashed as they fell to the floor. She was the Queen of France; she had more than enough money to replace some smashed trinkets. Instead, she focused on folding the tablecloth in half and then wrapping it around the Musketeer’s injured arm.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Aramis said, with a smile on his face, though he winced when Anne tightened the cloth around his wound, “In my line of work, it happens quite frequently. Although, you’re managed much better than either Athos or Porthos. D’Artagnan tends to be able to deal with my wounds.”

She observed as Aramis took a look at his injury and nodded in satisfaction.

“That’ll do until I get back my brothers.” He said, “And then they can stitch me up, or well, d’Artagnan can. The others will refuse to do it.”

~

**5: Treville – Demoted.**

Anne was shocked by her husband’s proposal to have Treville demoted from Captain of the Musketeers to _just_ a Musketeers. The four Musketeers she knew would not be happy about it, to say the least. If she knew them at all, they’d be _furious_ , particularly Porthos and d’Artagnan.

She tried to reason with her husband, clasping his hand, “Surely, there’s something else you can do. Something…less _permanent?_ ”

“My dear,” He said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze and smiling, “Sometimes a permanent solution is required. I don’t like doing this, but it must be done.”

“Couldn’t you wait until there is something genuine to demote him over? Not just because of one little thing?”

Louis looked at her with such love in his eyes, Anne felt her resolve falter a tiny bit. She knew that as well as he did that sometimes this type of thing could not be overlooked. Still, she knew she had to try. For Athos. For Porthos. For Aramis. For d’Artagnan. They were more than loyal Musketeers to her; they were her _friends_. (She wondered briefly if they felt the same way about her. She sincerely hoped so.)

“Is there truly nothing you can do?” She asked again, when Louis didn’t respond to her first question.

She can almost _see_ her husband’s determination fading before her very eyes. Maybe she should feel guilty about manipulating Louis’s feelings but she didn’t because she was helping her friends.

“I think there’s something I can do,” Louis said after a long silence, “Without demoting Captain Treville.”

Anne smiled gently, “Thank you Louis.”

**Author's Note:**

> As always, comments and kudos make my day better!


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